Horse lacking energy

[EmmaMcCahon]

Looking for a bit of feeding / supplement advice .

Horse is 12 had a month holiday in the field came back in extremely over weight 🙈. He has been back in work now for a month 6 days a week schooling hacking and lunging. Weight is slowly going down. But he has zero energy and he was always very forward in a good way. They are now of grass for winter gets fed hayledge around 4 times a day and two hard feeds , baileys performance balancer and dengie hi fi light . As he has never needed anything for energy and puts weight in very easily. But I am finding he doesn’t want to go forward atm and tires really easily. However I do have to be careful what I feed him as he doesn’t tolerate some cereals . He goes a bit nuts . Any help would be appreciated

 

[HeyMich]

He is probably just incredibly unfit and knackered! I would be if I'd had a year off...

When I was bringing my horse back into work after an injury (she'd only been off 2 months), I built it up really, really slowly, with literally 10 mins walk per day, then 15, then 20. Working him 6 days a week (schooling, hacking AND lunging!) might just be exhausting him! With no turn out either, he won't have the chance to stretch off those achey muscles. No wonder he's struggling.

I'd keep work to a minimum (little and often), allow him some leg stretch time, and be patient. This won't be fixed by changing feeds!

 

[be positive]

Schooling him when he has only been in work a month and was extremely overweight will be doing him no favours long term, get him hacking out briskly in walk and get the weight off slowly so he builds up fitness properly, he will be tired, reluctant to go forward because he is not fit enough to do so and will not be for another few months.

I just realised he is not even getting turned out each day, why do these yards have such ridiculous ideas of how to keep horses, he definitely needs to do less schooling and spend more time moving each day do if you can ride one end of the day and lunge gently the other it may help or consider moving to a yard that will turn out, my liveries are still out 24/7 and will remain out for as long as possible even then they get out every day I do not like to keep them shut in for months on end and if I couldn't turn out I would not take liveries.

 

[EmmaMcCahon]

He is probably just incredibly unfit and knackered! I would be if I'd had a year off...

When I was bringing my horse back into work after an injury (she'd only been off 2 months), I built it up really, really slowly, with literally 10 mins walk per day, then 15, then 20. Working him 6 days a week (schooling, hacking AND lunging!) might just be exhausting him! With no turn out either, he won't have the chance to stretch off those achey muscles. No wonder he's struggling.

I'd keep work to a minimum (little and often), allow him some leg stretch time, and be patient. This won't be fixed by changing feeds!

He only had a month off , he does get turned out just not on grass as our grass isn’t great . I don’t rode /lunge for long 20 mins max and 5 mins at the start and end is walking on a long rein

 

[HeyMich]

He only had a month off , he does get turned out just not on grass as our grass isn’t great . I don’t rode /lunge for long 20 mins max and 5 mins at the start and end is walking on a long rein

Ah, sorry, I misread your OP, thought he'd had 12 months off.

But still, this won't be fixed by feeding/supplements. It's to do with fitness and ability to do the work you are asking of him. Take it slowly, and give him time.

 

[be positive]

I also read 12 months off, but still think he needs time to build up fitness and lose weight gradually, feeding will make little difference as he is getting a balancer to give the essentials. If you are really concerned get everything checked, saddle, vet to give a once over just in case something has gone awry during the holiday, he could have suffered from a low level of laminitis if he was really porky and that can be easily missed.

 

[EmmaMcCahon]

Schooling him when he has only been in work a month and was extremely overweight will be doing him no favours long term, get him hacking out briskly in walk and get the weight off slowly so he builds up fitness properly, he will be tired, reluctant to go forward because he is not fit enough to do so and will not be for another few months.

I say schooling it’s really just getting him moving I’m not really asking him to do much. Mostly stretching long and low

 

[bubsqueaks]

If he's extremely over weight I wouldn't feed haylage if you have a choice not too but would be feeding soaked hay to reduce the calories.
As people have said energy is related to fitness
We have found our pony has gone flat too but she did last year & am thinking it may be coat change & needing a boost - she has all round vit & mins, electrolytes, plain chaff, but did suspect low on protein so have just put her on Agrobs mash & Linseed - she is barefoot so I watch very carefully what is in the feeds etc

 

[EmmaMcCahon]

thank you

 

[eggs]

Some horses seem to get it really taken out of them when they change coat. One of mine always gets a holiday for this reason at this time of year.

I would say that if you horse has lost some fitness (although a month off in a field should not cause him to lose too much fitness especially if he was reasonably fit beforehand) and put on a lot of weight this could well be your answer. Does the saddle still fit properly with the weight gain?

If you can get him out hacking up hills.

 

[EmmaMcCahon]

He was fit before he went out and by the mess they made of the field there was some messing done 🙈 there was just a lot of good grass hence the belly . Yes it was one of the 1st things I checked. He doesn’t hack well on his own so I have to rely on other people going so I get out about once a week hacking.

thanks for you help

 

[splashgirl45]

could he have a mild attack of laminitis? might be worth getting a vet check if he is acting differently he may be footsore

 

[paddy555]

Looking for a bit of feeding / supplement advice .

. But he has zero energy and he was always very forward in a good way. Any help would be appreciated

don't forget that lethargy in a horse that should be forward going is a sign of cushings. It could be worth testing. If he had cushings you could feed any amount of feed and it would not provide energy until the problem is sorted.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

From experience with mine, I would not go pumping in starch and mixes. I would gets bloods done, my mare it turned out to be EAD, also my pony it was IBD.
putting in energy feeds could be detrimental if there is an underlining issue or illness